May 7, 2013

The 31-Day Nail Challenge: Day 4 - Green Nails

It's Green day today!

Speaking of Green Day, did you know that they're one of Fall Out Boy's inspirations?

And since we're on the topic, speaking of Fall Out Boy (did you like my subtle and totally not forced transition there), I received some awesome news yesterday! They're coming back here to do a live show! Yay! So as you can guess, today's design is inspired by them.

Now, I know I just did an FOB-inspired mani a few days ago, but I did something different this time, I promise! Just keep reading until the end of the post to find out what it is!

Okay, that was a bit anticlimactic. Plain green nails for the Green Nails theme. So where's the "something different" I promised?

Well...

... They're glow-in-the-dark! I know I sound really psyched right now. It's my first time using this kind of polish! This mani features the title of Fall Out Boy's first single from Save Rock and Roll, My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.

Because the glow-in-the-dark polish is pretty translucent, I applied that neon green creme base first. Once that dried, I applied a thick layer of OPI Zom-body to Love, a green glow-in-the-dark polish. The two layered polishes look darker in person than they do in the photos. They're closer to a forest green. While waiting for those layers to dry, I combined a few polishes together to get a hue similar to the glow-in-the-dark polish layered over the creme. It took a while to get the right shade because if it's even the tiniest bit too light or too dark, the design just won't work the way I wanted it to.

After an extra drop of this and that and a little mixing here and there, I got a shade that was satisfactory. It consisted of the neon green creme, Art Club Green, OPI He's My Boo (which is an orange; added it in to dull the color down a bit), and Revlon Posh. By the time I got the right formula, my nails were already dry, so it was time to paint the next layer!

I used a different paint brush this time. It's slightly thicker than my favorite paint brush, but I found that it's easier to control when doing lettering. I usually end up having to do touch-ups when I use my favorite paint brush, but I couldn't do that for this mani. If I made a mistake, I couldn't just cover it up with the base color because it would still show if I turn off the lights, so I had to be extra careful! I applied a quick-dry top coat after that layer dried, then I got to picture-taking!

The outdoor shots in broad daylight weren't much of a problem. The only issue was that the color didn't appear as dark as it really is in person. But the indoor shots in a pitch black room were so hard to photograph properly! I did my best to remedy all of the issues. My camera didn't capture the glow at all at first, but after a little fiddling with the settings, the timid glow started to show up in the blurry pictures. I wanted full-on glow, though, so I placed a small lamp inside the dark room so I can recharge my nails every few minutes. To reduce the blur, I placed my hand on a flat surface to make sure it stays completely still while the photos were being taken. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the indoor and outdoor shots!

If you wish to do a similar mani, I recommend using a glow-in-the-dark top coat instead of a glow-in-the-dark polish. That way, you can use ordinary polish as the base and you can also use it for the design, so you wouldn't have to go through the trouble of getting the exact shade. I'm still on the hunt for the stuff since it's not really easy to find around here. I hope I can find one soon so I can do more glow-in-the-dark manis!